


On the verge

by Marium



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Friends and Lovers, Friends to Lovers, M/M, across the years kinda deal, minor Shane Walsh/others, some drama I guess, temporal Rick Grimes/Lori Grimes, temporal Rick Grimes/Negan, the lines between these are kinda blurred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-26
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2019-02-06 22:34:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12827547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marium/pseuds/Marium
Summary: Rick and Shane’s relationship can be a bit confusing, seen from outside. To them, though, it’s always been pretty clear. They’re what they are, they have what they have, and giving it a name isn’t really their priority. They know the other’s always gonna be there, and that’s what matters.





	On the verge

Only if Rick stretches his memory a lot can he, very vaguely, remember a time before Shane moved three houses up the street and they became joined at the hip, two days later, when the boy’s ball landed on the Grimes’ yard and he asked Rick if he wanted to play after having retrieved it. They might as well be the same person, Rick’s mom sometimes says with a giggle, given the way they spend all their time together, doing the same things, and whining when they have to be apart.

But Rick doesn’t understand why it should be any different. Shane’s his best friend, after all.

But as of right now, Rick’s 10 years old and Shane’s freshly 11, so that means that for the next four months Shane’s gonna play grown kid and act bossy and like he’s Rick’s boss or protector, as if it’s his duty to teach him the ways of life he isn’t even aware of yet. It’s also his duty to brag, too, for example about the stack of shiny new comics he got for his birthday. Or that he’s had a kiss, he says.

“You didn’t!” little Rick squeals, the scowl in his youthful face failing to have any effect, arms crossed petulantly.

“I did!” Shane replies, scowling as well and very clearly eager to convince Rick of what he says. “Yesterday at school, after your mom picked you up! My dad had to be late and so was Karen’s and she said she liked me. I gave her a kiss, I did!”

Rick’s brow furrows further and his body swaggers a little, he’s crossing his arms that hard. “But she’s a cool girl! She wouldn’t kiss you.”

“I am a cool boy too. She would.”

Rick pauses, tilts his head, and thinks for a few moments about what Shane has pointed out. He must find it convincing enough, because he drops his attitude as his body relaxes and the irritation in his face gives way to curiosity.

“What’s it like?” he asks, earnest and wide-eyed as if he hadn’t been a handful a moment ago. Shane puffs out his chest, pleased with his victory.

“Nothing special” he answers, waving his hand dismissively. “I don’t get what all the fuss is about.”

“There’s gotta be something about it.”

“There’s not.”

“But there gotta!”

“I told you there’s not. I’m the one who’s tried it, right?”

“I haven’t. How do I know you just didn’t realize it? You miss lotta stuff.”

Shane huffs, offended, eyes narrowed to thin slits at his friend, but then they widen as a grin spreads through his face. He comes a step closer to Rick.

“Maybe if we kiss you’ll know.”

Rick tilts his head, not looking convinced, but not rejecting the idea either. “That’d be very weird.”

“But Karen isn’t gonna kiss you, Ricky. This is easier.”

Convincing enough, Rick decides. He takes a step towards his friend too, and then looks up at him expectantly. They both seem awkward for a moment, fidgeting as they wait for something to happen, but then Shane decides to take action, grabbing Rick’s face and coming forward far too fast.

Their teeth knock together and they both complain as they lean back, Shane surprised, Rick betrayed. It’s a little while of Shane coaxing Rick to forgive him and assuring him that it went wrong before he allows the boy to try again. Next time, Shane leans forward slower, although still too fast and stiff for it to be like in the movies their mommas like to watch. They don’t think about that, though, and just wait for something magical to happen while their lips stay still against one another’s.

Such magic doesn’t come.

“It’s no big deal” Rick muses once they come apart.

“Told you so” Shane replies, smug grin adorning his face. Then he points towards the street through his window, the time for serious matters having arrived. “Do you wanna go play ball, or do we stay here and read comics? I got many new Ironman ones.”

-0-o-0-o-0-

“Oh my God, Ricky, you  _ like _ her!”

15-years-old Rick blushes a wine shade of red, hiding his embarrassed face from his best friend as he crosses his arms as if to protect himself and sinks down on his side of the couch, mentally willing Shane to just drop it and get his attention back on the movie.

But Shane’s attention on A New Hope, which he’s seen 13 times in the last two months, has gone from ‘barely any, let’s pester Rick with questions’ to literally nonexistent. His grin is wide, downright wicked as he scoots closer to Rick to poke him on his side, making the teen squirm.

“Andrea? Andrea Harrison? Man, am I proud of you, you got good taste! She’s awesome and she’s friends with you, Rick, you should totally try!”

“I do  _ not  _ like her” Rick replies, the ever-reddening tinge of his cheeks revealing his words to be but a filthy, filthy lie. “I think she’s pretty, that’s all.”

“I ask ‘who do you think is the hottest chick’ and you jump ‘Andrea is the most beautiful girl in the whole town’. Did you even take a breath, Rick? I wasn’t even done talking, oh my god.”

Shane dissolves into a fit of laughter, but it’s cut short when he realizes that Rick’s just cringing harder and harder each passing second, instead of relaxing to the sound and giving a nervous chuckle of his own, as he usually does. Shane’s face becomes full with concern, and he hesitates a little, rubbing the back of his head, before making up his mind and putting his hand on Rick’s shoulder, gently making him face his way.

“Man? Hey, man, what’s wrong?”

Rick mutters something lowly, that Shane assumes to be a variant of ‘it’s nothing’ after straining his ear and trying to make sense out of the few sounds he’s caught. He scoffs.

“Nothing, sure. C’mon, you know you can talk to me.”

Rick’s calmed down a bit, no longer miserable and so red he looks sick, but still he looks embarrassed and pink colors his cheeks. He’s still, shoulders square and both hands firmly on his lap, which he stares at without barely a blink.

“I, huh. I don’t think she’d be that interested.” Before Shane can pipe up an offended ‘ _ dude, you’re awesome, if she doesn’t want you then she’s dumb as a brick _ ’ he adds: “Never had a girlfriend. Don’t even know how to properly kiss.”

Shane hums, seeing why Rick would feel insecure about that. It’s pretty dumb, in his opinion, but he gets it. Rick’s a boy of many virtues, but he’s a quiet one too, often going unnoticed in comparison to big, loud Shane. Shane has no doubts that Rick’s probably the better one out of the two of them - the first time he realized that, it made something ugly rise up in his chest, but it was quickly suffocated by the love he has for the guy - but probably not everyone’s able to see it that clearly, and Rick himself isn’t an exception.

It aches, to see his best friend having a complex over something like this. It’s clear he’s gonna need a confidence boost if he’s gonna break out of this and eat the world.

“Let’s practice, then.” Shane’s voice is casual, and so is the way he shrugs. He grins when Rick looks at him curiously, pointing at himself with his thumb. “Let’s have some kisses, get you used to it.”

Rick and Shane have kissed a couple more times over the years, mostly when one of them was being annoying and the other wanted to throw him off his game and get him to shut up. But it’s not something usual, or long enough for it to be any real experience. Experience that Rick lacks, and Shane’s started collecting with this or that girl.

He sees the way Rick hesitates, and tries again. “It’s gotta be the same, right? A girl or a boy, a kiss’ still a kiss. Won’t harm to try.”

Rick’s still not too convinced, but at least he seems to have shifted his focus from his insecurity to this, rolling it in his head. In the end, he nods slowly and gives Shane a grateful, shy smile.

“I guess we can try.”   


The smile Shane gives him back is outright radiant.

“C’mon, Ricky. So Andrea will be blow away when you kiss her, huh?” Shane says, hands on Rick’s cheeks and thumbs smoothing softly to get him to calm down. Then he leans forward, so does Rick, and they meet in the middle. It’s a good while of slow, languid kisses before they decide they can stop.

It’s only a handful of kisses before he and Andrea mutually decide they’re better off as friends, no hard feelings. Still, Rick doesn’t regret his lightning-speed course on kissing.

-0-o-0-o-0-

It’s only natural, really, and it’s not hard to reach that conclusion if you give it just a little bit of thought.

After all, Rick and Shane have always been comfortable with one another like no one else. They’re both very physical guys; Rick’s a quiet boy, and he often expresses himself through body language rather than sound, and Shane, while significantly more talkative and loud, accompanies his words with gestures and casual touches all the time. Chances are, if they’re interacting, they’re gonna be touching in some way. Even when their teen years gave them an awkwardness that made them run away from any sort of touching with anyone else, Rick and Shane were each other’s only exception. Always side by side, always on each other.

And what started with that quick class when they were 15 has been going on until now, two years later. It just feels  _ good _ , so neither of them see a point to stopping it. Why should they? It is, after all, just what they usually do with a slight twist. What’s the difference between Shane leaning on Rick while watching a movie and Rick putting his arm around the boy’s shoulders meanwhile? What’s so different between kissing so Rick would practice it and kissing because it feels nice? And if a bit of groping gets thrown in, well, neither of them is bothered by it.

Mind you, it wasn’t sex. Not yet.

Sex is what’s about to happen  _ now. _

“I’m not too sure, Shane” Rick muses absently, relaxedly, after his friend suggests it, sitting on the couch of his room. The other one, lying on Rick’s bed with his arms crossed under his head, hums just as easily, peeking at Rick.

“Why not?"

“Well, we’re 17. I’m not sure that’s an age to have sex.”

“C’mon, Rick, 17 is a perfectly fine age to start doing this kind of stuff. I just think it’d be nice to try and see what all the fuss is about, is all.” Shane waves his hand casually, as if his words were light as the breeze. “And we can just start fooling around and stay light if going further doesn’t feel right, like we have the other times. I don’t know about you, but I’ve wanted to do something more sometimes. Don’t feel like you gotta, though. If you don’t want, then you don’t want. That’s cool.”

“What would you do if I say no?”

“Then nothing. Everything’s the same.” Shane shrugs with his words. He feels a bit of amusement when he catches Rick’s puzzled gaze, lets out a snort. “What, you thought I was gonna pull a playboy wannabe and say ‘I’ll just get one of the girls?’ Nah, Rick, that wouldn’t be cool. You’re the only one I’d feel comfortable enough with, as it is right now.”

Rick ponders on Shane’s answer, but his decision is already made. Shane’s said it because it’s true and not because he seeks to flatter the boy, but flatter him he has; a proud flush lightly colors Rick’s cheeks and a slight smile adorns his lips. It’s not long before he nods and stands up.

“Just what feels right” he repeats, more to himself than to Shane as he gets onto the bed with him and frowns down at his friend’s shape. In the end, he decides the best course of action is straddling him. He probably means it to be comfortable and maybe sexy, but he’s so clearly lost with what he’s doing that it ends up getting a laugh out of Shane. Rick huffs good-naturedly and jokingly punches his chest. “Stay quiet, you jerk. Let’s see how cool you look up here.”

“Alright, alright, I’m sorry” Shane says, voice still filled with laughter and not sounding apologetic at all. He’s put in an even better mood when he sees the amused grin of his own that Rick’s trying to repress, and it’s not long before they’re both giggling and teasing.

They’re still light-hearted and light-headed with mirth as Shane’s palms settle on Rick’s hips and they lean for a kiss.

As it turns out, it does feel right. Both Rick and Shane lose their virginity that day.

-0-o-0-o-0-

“Oh boy, we’re gonna fucking  _ feast! _ ” Shane exclaims, voice loud and cheery with laughter, and despite the second-hand embarrassment it earns Rick to be next to the man screaming to the top of his voice, even with no one around, he finds himself grinning as well. He lets out an amused chuckle and playfully shoves Shane away when the guy slings his arm over Rick’s shoulders, messing his hair up like a proud older brother.

It’s not much of a ‘feast’, really, neither of them old enough to go drink in a bar at the age of 18, and instead just getting some beers and settling onto the basement to drink, have some fast food, and watch shit on TV. Shane’s excitement rubs off on Rick, though, and he finds himself pretty charmed by the idea as well. Leave it to Shane to do that.

Reason of the celebration? After having been pinning for her for about half a year, Rick’s finally gathered the guts to ask Lori out. That’s remarkable enough, but the icing on the cake? She’s said  _ yes _ . Rick’s got himself a date Saturday morning.

Rick’s sort of euphoric, high on it, in that way in which the rush of excitement hits him again every time he realizes that ‘oh Jesus, it actually happened’. It’s nothing compared to how Shane feels, however. The guy is over the top with pride. The way he smiles, you’d think it’s him who’s gotten a date with Lori instead of Rick.

“Man, Rick, you landed Lori” Shane says, voice awe-struck as he claps his friend on the back and his other hand brings his first bottle up to his lips, taking a long swig, throat moving along. “That’s just so awesome. She’s a good girl. Real pretty, too. I’d have tried to land her myself if I didn’t know how bad you’ve got it for her.”

Rick usually brushes off his friend’s compliments, but takes them to heart and treasures them. This time, however, he lets the effect they have on him show in the most genuine way, a delighted smirk on his lips and a blush on his cheeks that has nothing to do with the alcohol he’s yet to touch. He grabs a chip and throws it into his mouth.

“I can barely believe it, Shane. She’s… God, she’s perfect. I was so damn nervous, I could barely speak and I was sweating so much, I made such a fool of myself. And then she smiled and said  _ yes _ . Gave me a kiss on the cheek and everything. It’s just surreal.”

“C’mon, man, quit it” Shane scoffs with a fond roll of his eyes. He rubs Rick’s hair again, grinning when he gets the other to complain and shove him away again, poking into his ribs. “Of course she said yes. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re pretty perfect yourself, got many more people after you than you’re aware of. You are gonna make such a good couple, I’m jealous of both of you.” Shane laughs softly and leans in again, putting his face on Rick’s temple. “Can I ask you to talk to her about a threesome or something? You know I’m a pretty decent lover…”

Rick shoves Shane away again, expression on some point between annoyance and amusement. Shane lets himself go away, grinning playfully and poking his tongue out. Rick mimics the gesture, arms crossed.

“C’mon, Shane, you know that’s not how this works. I don’t try to get on your pants when you have a girlfriend, don’t you try to get in mine when I do. Or hers, for that matter. That’d be so weird.”

“I know, I know. I’m just messing around, Rick, I know you’re not that kinda guy.”

There’s a brief pause, both of them drinking and eating in comfortable silence, before Shane hums and speaks again, sly grin back in place as he eyes his friend. Damn, he feels so proud of him. Took him long enough, but Rick’s finally getting out of his shell and he’s looking amazing while he’s at it.

“You know, I was starting to fear you’d never get to this point. Was about time you got someone else, a little variety on casual sex will be good for you. I kinda felt bad every time I got a girlfriend and left you on a dry spell.”

“First of all, it’s not your duty to monitor my sex life, so don’t feel bad” Rick says, pointing a fry at Shane. “Second, this… it’s not casual. I really like her, and I’d like it to last. You should try to get someone for something longer than a week, by the way, might be good for you. But yeah, I’m serious with Lori. I don’t think I’m built for casual, to be honest.”

Shane frowns at that, tilting his head and scratching his nape. “You don’t do casual? Then what is it that we do? I think friends with benefits sort of implies casual, Rick.”

“I guess it does” Rick muses, thinking for a moment. Then he shrugs it away. “Does it matter, though? I don’t really think we need a name for it. We are what we, it is what it is. We know what it’s like and we’re alright with it. I think that’s what’s important.”

Shane hums. “Yeah. I think so too.”

-0-o-0-o-0-

Rick’s never had to comfort Shane. Shane’s never had to be comforted by Rick. Not on this regard. He’s never been attached for his girlfriends, nor to the couple boyfriends he’s had. He doesn’t think he’s ever actually had someone he’s cared about strongly enough, or been with for long enough, for any of those titles to actually fit. One night stands that got stretched out, that’s it, and when it ended he might have been a little frustrated or mopey of they were particularly nice, but nothing that he couldn’t simply shrug off his back.

Shane’s never been in love. He’s never had heartbreak.

Maybe if he had, if he’d had needed his best friend to be there for him, he’d know what the appropriate way to comfort Rick now would be. As it is, he’s left fumbling in the dark and hoping that he doesn’t say anything that will make it worse.

‘She was a bitch, you’re better off without her’ is definitely not what Rick wants to hear, and definitely isn’t the truth, either. Shane might have some resentment towards Lori right now because she’s left his best friend like this, but he knows that’s a lie. Suggesting they go look for someone else for Rick to hook up with is definitely Shane’s style and not Rick’s at all, so it’s off the table. Shane would rather hang himself than acting like Rick’s pain is stupid and tell him to man up. ‘You’ll get over it’ does feel like the truth, but he should let Rick mourn his relationship a bit longer before he goes down on that lane.

Rick’s gotten himself in three fights today, nearly got a rise out of Shane a couple times and made it into four. Shane doesn’t blame him for it, though. Three years is a long time to be with someone, after all, and Shane has seen with his own eyes how much the man adored - adores - Lori. And it all ended yesterday evening. So he’s let him be moody and miserable, he’s made his best to stop it from getting him into trouble, and now that they’re on Rick’s flat and they guy’s gone straight to bed, Shane doesn’t feel any urge to demand some proper hospitality.

The room’s dark, only some light filtering through the closed curtains. Rick’s lying on top of the sheets, face towards the ceiling, eyes open, lips firmly shut. Shane stands beside him, hands on his hips, worried scowl as he looks down at him. In the end, he just pulls a chair close and sits next to him, anxiously and repeatedly rubbing his nape.

“I’m here, man. Please, talk to me.”

He doesn’t get an answer. For ten minutes Shane sits in silence beside Rick, and eventually he sighs. He stands up, goes to the kitchen, grabs something to eat and prepares something more elaborate for his friend. He leaves it on the microwave, for when Rick feels like eating - Shane’s not gonna let night come without some food going down Rick’s throat, of that much he’s sure - and goes back to check on him. He puts everything in the guy’s bag, that he let drop on the floor as soon as he got home, in its place, and then goes back to his chair.

Rick’s face is tilted a bit towards the wall, his left arm a bit closer to his body, his right hand facing down instead of up, but there’s no difference from before other than that.

It’s another fifteen minutes before Rick mutters an answer.

“I don’t blame her, you know.” Shane’s face snaps towards Rick, heart jumping to see him react at all, even if it’s in that low, sad voice. “I know she loves me, and I know she’s tried. Damn, she’s tried so much. Probably would have been willing to marry me and everything, if we had gotten past this one. I’ve tried too. But it just… Fuck, Shane, it didn’t work. I’d love to say we just didn’t work together that good, but we fucking did. It’s my fault.”

Shane’s adopted an indignant expression now, all offended on Rick’s behalf even against himself, but before he can start arguing, Rick turns his face towards him, eyes hard, and continues.

“I didn’t talk to her. Not enough. Barely gave her enough to work with, enough to make us work. And I tried, damn I tried, but it just didn’t come out. I’d make up my mind, go to her, but the moment we were face to face anything I’d have to say would feel inappropriate. Too nosy, or too self-centered, or like I only cared about my own problems, or too trivial. So I’d spend most of my time silent and it got to a point where she just couldn’t stand it anymore. She was telling me sorry when she broke up with me. She felt bad for me. Damn, Shane, why did I have to mess it up so bad?”

Shane stays quiet for a while after that, licking his lips nervously and unsure where to start. He’s got so much to say about this and simultaneously he doesn’t know what to say at all. He decides to go for what he knows best, in the end.

“I don’t think that’s quite objective, Rick. You’re not silent. You speak to me all the time about everything, and you know that. There’s nothing you don’t tell me.”

“Exactly. There’s nothing I don’t tell  _ you _ .”

Rick rolls onto his side now, arms folded onto his chest, half his face buried into the old worn pillow, and the remaining eye fixed on Shane.

“I’ve never had that problem with you, but that’s it. Everyone else? My parents, my brother, my other friends, Lori… I just can’t speak. Words just won’t come out. I make people feel like I don’t care, and I hate it, but I can’t make it happen. The only person I’m not quiet with is you, Shane.”

Shane’s whole attention is on Rick, every one of his senses. He swallows thickly. He’s always thought that Rick does speak to everyone else, that he’s just a quiet person in public, that’s all. Now that he’s been told this, he finds he feels so very bad for Rick. Of course he does, because Rick’s someone so thoughtful and sensitive and just so burningly alive inside, that him being unable to share it all with others and seem cold is plain unfair.

Shane’s always had a tendency towards possessiveness, he’s aware of it, and he’s always been damn proud to be Rick’s best and foremost friend. It kinda flatters him that Rick’s able to speak to him in a way he can’t to anyone else. Still, it’s not right. Rick’s wonderful and everyone should get to see it clear as day.

Shane ends up pressed next to Rick, comforting him with his body when his words fail him. Rick clings to him, buries his face on his chest, and Shane soothes him as he runs his hands down his back. They’re not gonna have sex, Rick’s really not in the mood for it. It’s the best way Shane has to comfort, though, and maybe he’ll try it tomorrow, let Rick feel deep down that he’s there for him. But right now, he’s simply gonna hold him and lull him to some hours of sleep.

-0-o-0-o-0-

“I don’t wanna be the asshole that says ‘I told you’, but I  _ am _ an asshole. Told you.”

Hey, he has. Repeatedly. When Rick got a boyfriend after two years of being single after Lori, Shane was glad for him. A man like Rick should have had much more experiences at the age of 23, so Shane encouraged him to it. It all flew out the window the moment he met the guy.

Shane is able to see the irony, because damn, Negan’s so very much like him in many aspects. Being an asshole included. The dislike probably has something to do with how Shane’s a possessive guy and Rick liked Shane 2.0 so much. And how Shane 2.0 seemed to be even more possessive than Shane 1.0, drawing Rick’s attention all the time. And how he seemed to have no respect for anyone at all, except sometimes Rick. And how he didn’t like Shane any more than Shane liked him.

Point being that Shane very firmly decided that Negan deserved suffering, twenty minutes into being introduced to him by Rick.

‘Are you jealous, Shane?’ Rick would tease whenever Shane was particularly vocal about his dislike of the guy, making Shane huff and cross his arms in irritation.

‘Of course I’m not. He’s not good for you, is all. You’ll see.’

‘Sure, sure.’

Well, as it turns out, after two years of relationship, Rick has seen.

“You did” Rick admits, sighing deep and tired. He runs his hand through his face and directs one disappointed eye at Shane. “Maybe I should listen to you next time.”

“Damn right you should. I’m the older one, after all. I look after you.”

For a moment, Rick doesn’t really look like he’s taken Shane’s words the way they are meant, but then he decides he appreciates the joke and he lets out an amused snort, mood lifting a little as he composes himself and raises an eyebrow.

“I’ll only be 25 for two more months. Then we’ll be the same age again and I’ll be free of your comments for eight whole months. There are things worth looking forward to.”

Not too cheerful, but hey, they guy’s entitled to it. His boyfriend has cheated on him, after all. Repeatedly and with many people, it would seem.

Shane wants to strangle the guy. If it wasn’t because Rick glares at him every time he suggests it, he would have.

In that moment Rick’s phone rings, making both of them startle. Rick looks at the screen, and the already suspicious face he has turns into a derisive scowl right before he rejects the call and throws the phone onto the other couch. He rests his cheek on his hand and gives Shane a look somewhere between confusion and irritation.

“He’s called me 22 times and I don’t even know how many messages I got. Keeps telling me how sorry he is, that he’s gonna change, the he could never get over me and he’s gonna fight for me his whole life. Showed up at my doorstep with a bouquet of flowers and a smile. You know, all his usual dramatics. With a lot of ‘fucks’ thrown in.” Rick starts massaging his brow, lets out a groan. “I should have known, he did cheat on his last girlfriend. She told me I really shouldn’t trust him. But I did and here I am.”

Shane lets silence linger for a few moments. “Are you sure you don’t want me to go beat him up?”

Rick raises a judging eyebrow, but then he snorts and shakes his head, biting down on his lip.

“You just want an excuse to go hit him, don’t you?”

“Maybe. Still valid.”

Rick laughs again, his eyes gaining a sparkle as he looks at Shane. “No, I don’t want you to go beat him. I can deal with him myself.”

“I’m not gonna sit here and watch you be miserable, man. I gotta do something.”

Rick hums thoughtfully and goes up to Shane, drops himself beside him, sides touching. Shane’s immediately touching Rick, physical comfort always the best he has, and Rick touches him right back. Shane wants, of course he wants, but he hesitates briefly.

“Are you in the mood for this right now, Rick?”

“Yeah. I just need you to take my mind off things for a while.”

That Shane can do. He smiles sweetly down at Rick and leans to kiss him, as his hands begin to wander through his body. If he can help Rick like this, then he’s gonna do a damn good job.

-0-o-0-o-0-

Rick’s breathing has been composed for a while, and he’s long come down from his high. The pace of Shane’s breathing beside him tells him the other’s calm as well. None of them has made any move so far, though, deciding to stay in bed for once, arms spread out so their hands can hold one another in the middle.

It’s nice. Rick wouldn’t mind doing this more often.

“Shane” he calls, “are we in love?”

When Shane turns his face towards Rick, he sees that he’s scowling, but it’s surprise more than anything else. “Huh? What’re you saying?”

There’s no heat in his voice, no defensiveness or hostility. Just outright curiosity. Rick shrugs and returns his eyes to the ceiling.

“We’re best friends, I know that. But all I’m saying is that maybe that’s not all we are. Could be more, right? I’m not an idiot, I know that our friendship isn’t really what most people think of as friendship. We’re friends. But seen from outside, we’re something else. So maybe we are in love? Could be, I think.”

Rick’s words are light, curious more than anything, just like Shane’s. He hears his maybe-more-than-friend hum absently, scoot a bit closer. The hand over his becomes a whole arm interwoven with his.

Shane hums, low and long, and licks his lips before nodding slowly. “You know what, Rick? I think we are.”

For a second there is silence, quiet, but then a smile blooms on Rick’s lips and he giggles a little, which is soon mimicked by Shane. He turns until his chest is facing down, right next to Shane’s, and his chin is resting on Shane’s pec. They smile at each other and lean for a slow, gentle kiss.

“So what now? Are we gonna be boyfriends or something like that?”

“I think I’d like that, yeah” Shane says firmly after a brief moment of thinking about it. “Does anything change between us, or it’s all the same?”

It’s Rick’s turn to think now, under Shane’s expecting blinking. He worries his lower lip lightly as he does so, and Shane’s thumb comes up to run across it, and Rick takes the chance to capture it and suck lightly on it. It’s such an intimate gesture, but nothing they haven’t done before in the most casual of ways.

“I think it’s the same. You don’t screw other people without telling me first. Or bringing me in. But other than that, nothing. We’re already very couple-y as it is.”

“Well, can you blame me?” Shane asks, eyebrows raised, grin wide, and voice at his most charming. His arms come around Rick’s naked back and hold tight. “You’re pretty damn lovely. It’s kind of hard not to be all lovey-dovey around you.”

Rick raises an eyebrow, unimpressed. “If you’re gonna start acting like I’m one of your flings, you can forget about it, Shane.”

They remain serious-looking for about three seconds before they burst out in laughter. Somehow, in the middle of it, they roll around and end up with Rick under Shane’s body as they kiss hungry and loving, hands roaming everywhere as they prepare for round two.

Yeah, Rick thinks as he clings to Shane, this feels pretty damn right.


End file.
